At Ashfield Primary School we celebrate the individuality of all our pupils and aim to provide high quality education that meets the needs of every child.

The new SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) Local Offer will provide information for children, young people and their parents/carers in a single place, helping them to understand what services they and their families can expect from a range of local agencies. This was introduced as part of the Children and Families Bill and became law in 2014.

The aim of the local offer is to improve choice and transparency for families about the services they use. It will also be an important tool for professionals to use, as it will allow them to understand the full range of services and provision in the local area. By setting this information out in one place, this will also help the joint commissioning of services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Please follow the links shown below for details of the local offers from Leeds:

This plan is drawn up in accordance with the planning duty in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended by the SEN and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA) and the Equality Act (2010). It draws on the guidance set out in “Accessible School: Planning to Increase Access to schools for disabled pupils” DfE.

Definition of Disability:

Disability is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)

“A person has disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities”. This includes sensory impairment and learning difficulties resulting from or consisting of mental illness.

Key Objective:

To reduce and eliminate barriers to access to the curriculum and to full participation in the school community for pupils, and prospective pupils with a disability. We also aim to eliminate barriers for staff, governors, visiting professionals, parents, and the community.

Principles:

Compliance with the DDA is consistent with the school’s aims and equal opportunities policy, and the operation of the school’s SEN policy:

The school recognises its duty under the DDA (as amended by SENDA):

• Not to discriminate against disabled pupils in their admissions and exclusions, and provision of education and associated services.
• Not to treat disabled pupils less favourably
• To take reasonable steps to avoid putting disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage
• To publish an Accessibility Plan.

In performing their duties Governors and staff will have regard to the Disability Rights Commission DRC Code of Practice (2002)

The school recognises and values parents’ knowledge of their child’s disability and its effect on his/her ability to carry out normal activities, and respects the parents’ and Childs’ right to confidentiality.

This SEN support takes the form of a four-part cycle (assess, plan, do, review). Through this cycle, actions are reviewed and refined as understanding of a pupil's needs and the support required to help them secure good outcomes increases. This is known as the graduated approach. We review provision regularly at Ashfield and all children on the register are reviewed three times per year (Autumn, Spring and Summer). This is in addition to the core parent consultations offered throughout the year to all pupils. It is important that we provide each 'intervention' with an adequate time frame to assess impact. It is only through doing this that we are able to establish/ review whether new intervention is required. It is only by working systematically through the graduated approach that we are able to make referrals to external agencies. Below are examples of the Ashfield Graduated Approaches to SPLD (specific Literacy Difficulties) and SEMH (Social Emotional Mental Health). These have been designed and agreed by the Ashfield Team, taking advice and guidance from the local authority.

Note: It is only through extensive assess, plan, do and review within universal and targeted support that we are then able to access services within the specialist sector.

Early Identification of Need Flowchart for Practitioners

Early Identification of Need: Internal Request & Plan Form

Initial Parent/Carer Meeting Form

Inclusion - Art & Design

Inclusion - Computing

Inclusion - English

Inclusion - Maths

Inclusion - Music

Inclusion - PE

Inclusion - Science

We use the SEND Teacher's Handbook to support us with ensuring inclusion in Foundation Subjects. These can be found above. 

'Dyslexia' is derived from the Greek and means literally  ' difficulty with words or language'. There is no one agreed definition of dyslexia and, despite considerable research, the findings regarding the numbers of individuals and causes of dyslexia vary widely. However, more recent definitions reflect a degree of consensus between academics and professionals and help to clarify a basis for identification.

In June 2009, Sir Jim Rose published his report on dyslexia to the Secretary of State for Education. The report set out guidelines to support schools in identifying and teaching children and young people with dyslexia and literacy difficulties.

Rose summarised dyslexia as follows:

• • Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling.
  • Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.
  • Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities.

It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points.

Dyslexia Policy

Graduated Approach to SPLD (Specific Literacy Difficulties)

Supporting children with SPLD through Quality First Teaching (QFT)

Famous People with Dyslexia

At Ashfield we work hard to support our children with ASD. We access training through the Leeds STARS team and put in place bespoke advice for children who have been referred to the team. Further advice and support can be found on the links below.

Autism Education Trust (AET) Terminology Guide

Autism Acceptance Week

National Autistic Society Drop In

What better thing to do (on the hottest week of the year) than take our sensory exploration outdoor. The children were thoroughly immersed in their water play and loved exploring different ways of getting themselves (and the adults) wet. What a fantastic session! 

We run daily Communication and Interaction workshops in school. The session lasts approximately 1 hour and focus on communication (PECS) and use of a visual timetables. The children work so hard in the sessions, developing their communication and interaction skills through shared activities including sensory play, singing songs and focussed play tasks.  The high levels of engagement and huge smiles show how much the children benefit from the workshop.

Sensory Session

At Ashfield we believe that communication and language provides one of the key foundations for all future learning. 

We aim to identify Speech and Language difficulties early to ensure that a robust programme is put in place to support the child. Children may demonstrate delay in one (or more) of the following areas:

• Understanding Language
• Expressive Language
• Speech Sounds
• Social Skills and Interaction
• Stammering 
• Selective Mutism

Where there is an area of concern, we refer to the NHS speech and language service to request a more thorough assessment and programme. Our cluster of schools also employs a private Speech and Language therapist to provide assessments and programmes. We have access to this x 3 days per year however often purchase further days as required. 

SEMH needs are a type of special educational need where a child communicates through behaviour in response to unmet social, emotional or mental health needs.

Children with SEMH needs often have difficulties in managing their emotions or their behaviour. They can show inappropriate responses to their emotions. They can feel scared, anxious and misunderstood.

Graduated Approach to SEMH (Social Emotional Mental Health)

Please also see our Mental Health and Wellbeing and Social and Emotional Health Pages.

CAMHS Crisis Call Information for Parents/Carers and Young People

This free helpline is run by trained sleep advisors who can talk to young people directly, or their parents.

The Children’s Sleep Charity is a national, award-winning charity supporting children with sleep issues. We provide support for families and accredited training for professionals and commercial organisations.

Ashfield Single Equality Scheme

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.

NHS information page

ADHD Foundation

Where can parents/carers of pupils with special educational needs and disability get support?

The service is impartial, confidential, arm's length from the Local Authority and schools, free and accessible to all parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disability.

http://www.leedssendiass.co.uk/

Email: sendiass@leeds.gov.uk Helpline: 0113 3951 200 (Mon-Fri 10am to 3pm)

Leeds SEND Information Advice Support Service Technorth, 9 Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton Leeds LS7 3NB

sendiass offer

We value good home/school relations and will, therefore, do everything we can to establish and maintain them.  This includes seeking to resolve any concerns or complaints promptly, and to the satisfaction of all concerned.

We welcome feedback on what parents feel we do well, or not so well, as a school.   We will consider carefully all feedback, whether positive or negative, and will review our policies and practices accordingly.

We will treat all concerns and complaints seriously and courteously and will advise parents and others of the school’s procedures for dealing with their concerns.  

Please see the link to our Equalities page which shows how we comply with the public sector equality duty and includes the following policies:

• Inclusion Policy
• Single Equality Scheme
• Accessibility Plan

See our Admissions Page for information about the arrangements for the admission of disabled pupils.

Leeds Admissions: Priority 2 – Children with exceptional social or medical needs that can only be met at a specific school

This priority is a request for admission to one specific school because your child has exceptional needs that can only be met at that school. It must be supported by professional evidence.

All schools in Leeds have experience of supporting a wide range of social and medical needs. However, in exceptional cases, there may be compelling reasons why a child needs to attend one specific school. This priority can be requested in these cases, and applicants will need to clearly demonstrate the connection between your child's need, the specific school and how that school can meet your child's needs in a way that no other school can. It must be supported by professional evidence. A panel of council officers will review your request for this priority.

A request would not be granted where a parent wishes for their child to attend a school based on the child's abilities, because their friends attend the school or due to childcare arrangements. Any request for this priority must outline why the child's circumstances are exceptional, and why only one school is suitable.

You can find out more about this priority on our check if you need to submit extra information page. 

You must provide the following information with your application:

• your child's name, date of birth and address
• the name of the one school you are requesting this priority for
• what precise support your child requires due to their specific needs
• why only this school can provide the support needed to meet your child's needs and no other can
• what extra support or funding your child currently receives
• you must attach supporting evidence from an independent  professional, such as a medical specialist which confirms exactly what your child's needs are and why, in their view, only one school can meet that need.  Without this evidence, your child's needs cannot be considered

Cases will be considered individually and where necessary in consultation with the school that you've requested.